Twelve adopted daughters, a thriving Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchise, humanitarian ventures in Africa – Dale Boudro has achieved a lot in life so far. But talk to him for a few minutes and you can almost hear the wheels turning in his head. “So much more to be done,” they seem to be saying. “And so much more I can do.”
That restless mind under Boudro’s calm demeanor helps explain why Boudro, who operates in Hayden, Idaho, received the Personal Achievement award from Mr. Rooter Plumbing in 2008. It also explains why, at age 63, he’s a long way from most people’s idea of retirement.
In the past several years, Boudro and his wife, Yolanda, have adopted 11 children from other countries and have become advocates for international adoptions. They have also helped to found a nonprofit organization that operates a school in Uganda and plans a school and orphanage in Ethiopia.
Looking for meaning
Boudro didn’t set out to become a humanitarian, but he started down that path almost 30 years ago. When he and wife Yolanda married in 1980, they decided to adopt their first child. “With so many children in need,” Boudro says, “Yolanda didn’t feel compelled to be pregnant and give birth, and that was fine with me.”
Thanks to a U.S. adoption agency, baby Jennifer joined the Boudro family in 1983. But when the Boudros sought a second child, domestic adoptions were harder to come by. Expanding their search overseas, they found Lindsey, from Korea.
Life was good to the Boudros. While they raised their daughters, Dale launched, expanded and sold a series of businesses, culminating in a Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchise in 1994. Almost before they knew it, the girls were grown and the Boudros set out to travel and enjoy life.
“We were happy, but we had no sense of satisfaction, no joy,” Boudro says. “Happiness lasts for a moment, but joy lasts forever and can’t be taken away.”
Beyond borders
In 2002, the Boudros decided to adopt again, and their experience with Lindsey led them to search overseas. First, they went to China, where the government’s “one child” policy had left many orphaned girls. “Many couples abandon their first child if it’s a girl, so they can try again for a boy,” Boudro says.
The Boudros went to China three times and adopted three daughters, Desiree, Naomi and Zoe. They also made some important decisions about the future children they would bring into their family.
“Yolanda strongly believes that in developing countries, orphaned girls’ lives are more difficult, because they can’t work to support themselves like boys can,” Boudro says. The couple also realized that girls with physical defects would have no chance at all. So they decided to adopt only girls and, when practical, girls with physical problems. All three of their daughters from China fall into this category.
Soon, Boudro encountered some local people who were doing humanitarian work in Africa, and he was intrigued. He began traveling to Africa to assist with efforts there.
“The level of need in Africa, especially Ethiopia, is staggering,” he says. HIV/AIDS has left many widows and orphans. Unemploy-ment is high, so even people who are healthy often can’t feed their families.
Concern for the orphans in Ethiopia led the Boudros to adopt seven girls from there over several years: Hana, Eyerusalem, Tadelech, Betrese, Adrianna, Anni and Abigail. Some of the girls are siblings, and several have physical challenges. All of them were older – ages 6 to 14 – when they joined the family.
“Adopting older children is fascinating,” Boudro says. “You can mold babies to be pretty much like you, but older children come with their own personalities and character traits.” The girls also came with their own language – Amharic – which made communication a challenge, but a source of laughter, too.
Beyond adoption
As he spent more time in Africa, Boudro realized that adopting children himself was not a long-term solution to the problems there. He began advocating for international adoptions in the United States, but he still was neither satisfied nor complacent.
With some others, he recently founded a nonprofit organization, Grace Giving International, to raise funds for humanitarian activities. Boudro serves as its president and is backed by an active board of directors.
Grace Giving has already made impressive progress. The group took over operation of a school in Uganda that serves 350 children, and they plan to found a school in Ethiopia. “Schools in Africa are often shaky operations,” Boudro says. The school Grace Giving manages is successful because parents know its funding is secure.
The organization won’t stop with just a school in Ethiopia. Boudro has ambitious plans for an orphanage and a site where revolving U.S. medical teams can work. With a local partner, Grace Giving also plans to help orphaned teenagers form a dairy business to create jobs and markets for their products.
Grace Giving is a faith-based organization; its schools are Christ-ian and teach the Gospel. But Boudro points out that all are welcome to contribute to the organization and get involved in its work. “With the need so great,” he says, “we want to reach out to everyone, regardless of faith or creed.”
A joyful life
The Boudro home is filled with activity and laughter. The girls blend well in the family’s five-bedroom house. Yolanda home-schools everyone. In summer, there’s a garden to tend. In winter, some of the girls run a firewood business, hoping to pay for a visit to Ethiopia soon.
Looking ahead, Boudro hints that Mr. Rooter Plumbing will probably be his last business. And for now, no more adoptions are planned. But if you listen closely, you can still hear those wheels in his head turning, turning.
